Rumors swirl among legal experts of potential Trump settlement in civil fraud case
Legal analysts watching Donald Trump’s civil court case took to social media Tuesday to debate rumors that the former president might be discussing a settlement.
MSNBC analyst Lisa Rubin and Law360 reporter Frank Runyeon both said they saw signs that a settlement might be taking place in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ $250 million lawsuit against Trump, who has denied wrongdoing.
“Very curious,” posted Runyeon at 2:45 p.m. “Settlement bid afoot?”
But Daily Beast political investigations reporter Jose Pagliery argued it would be a “a cold day in hell” when Trump and James reached an agreement on the case.
“The judge might drown Trump in fines ranging from $250 million to a gazillion dollars. And the entire Trump Org could end up in receivership soon,” wrote Pagliery. “What would the Trumps counteroffer?”
The Attorney General’s office did not immediately respond to Raw Story’s request for comment.
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As potential signs of a settlement, Runyeon pointed to Trump attorney Alina Habba’s solitary exit from court chambers — which was followed by State attorneys’ entrance — and a Monday message from Trump complaining about a “low ball” offer.
Rubin also linked those private conversations to the rumors, but noted Trump did not specify when the conference took place at which Engoron offered to settle “for a much lower amount.”
“When was that conference? Trump’s post was devoid of any temporal context,” Rubin wrote about 5:45 p.m. roughly 10 minutes before ABC News reported the court adjourned for the day.
She shared a New York Times report from 2022 that detailed multiple settlement overtures made by the Trump Organization, none of which include Engoron.
“So what is Trump talking about and when did it happen?” Rubin wrote. “Stay tuned.”
Harry Litman, legal affairs columnist for the L.A. Times, shared Rubin’s musings with his followers.
“This would be an absolutely stunning development, but I can’t think of a better explanation for Kise’s being outside the court room for so long mid trial,” Litman said.
“If it’s happening, we [should] know soon.”